Wrench



Patented June 19, 1923.

Unir errar WRENCH. i

Application inea Jui-le 28, 1922. semi 110.571,39.

To all whom t may Concern Be it known that l, LEWIS L. HALL, a`

citizen of the United States, residing at (jlendenin, lin the county of Kanawha'and State of l/Vest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a VVi'ench, of which the following is a Specification.

This invention relates to a ratchet wrench and has for its principal object to provide a wrench which can be adapted for use with several sizes of wrench heads, thereby do` ing away with the necessty of having separate and individual ratchets for different sizewrench heads. n Another object of the invention is to provide a ratchet wrench of the above mentioned character which can be easily assembled and is furthermore provided with means for preventing` relative movement of the cover plate on the handle when the same are assembled.`

A still further object of the invention is to provide a ratchet wrench of the above mentioned character which is inexpensive in its manufacture, simple in construction, strong and durable. V

@ther objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during. the course of the following description.

In the accompanying' drawings forming a part of the description and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a topr plan view of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the wrench showing the cover plate removed; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the under side of the cover plate.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment. of my invention, the numeral 1` designates a handle and is provided at its smaller end with a reduced portion 2. This reduced porton 2 extends from the angular offset 3 formed by such reduced portion and terminates into a second angular oifset portion 4 which is formed diagonally across the handle as shown more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings. A second reduced portion 5 is formed from the second offset portion 4 to the opposite'endof the handle.I The purpose of this `second offset portion will be hereinafter fully described. y

rthe reduced portion 5 which will loe here# .l mal-ter terrified, the enlarged head portion of the han-:lle for thepurpose of more ooni'eni'ently describing the same in connection with the other features,"1s provided with a circular opening 6 for the purpose of receiving a portion of a 'socket wrench head to loey lateidescribed, and also is adapted to .receive a pivoted pa-wl .7 which is'pivotally mounted upon the pin 8 which is mounted uponthefenlarged head 5. Thepawl 7 has'a rearwardly extending foot 9 which is adapted to engage or abut the diagonal offset 4v formedon the handle 1 at the forward v,end of the reduced portion 2. An upstanding lug 10 is mounted upon the reduced portion 5 and extends from the handle at right angles to the plane thereof. This upstanding lug 10 is provided with an angular eXtension 11 which s adapted to co-operate vwith the rearwardly extending footvQof thepawl `7 by means of a coil spring 12. Thisvcoil spring 12 is disposed between the vangularly extending arm of the upstanding lug 10 and the rearwardly extending foot 9 ofjthe pawl infor the purpose of normally keeping the pawl in engagement with the ratchet teeth i Jformed on the wrench head'. The well known type of socket wrench head lmay be used with my formv of wrench handle,

and is provided with ratchet teeth on its per pheral edge as indicated at 14 in the drawings. .s

A cover plate 15 is adapted toV rest upon the reduce/.fl portion 2 of thehandle'1l and lhas its end terminating. in the sameman ner as the angular offset 3 formed on'the handle 1. for engagement with the same. This cover plate 15 is also provided witha reduced portion 16 formed on the under face thereof for the purpose hereinafter' to be rfully described. A similar` diagonally extending portion 17 is formed similar' to the diagonal extension 4 formed'on the handle 1, on the under face of the cover plate 15 and is provided with a finger 18 which extends onto the reduced portion 16` thereof. A circular recess 19 is also formed in the cover plate for the purpose of receiving the opposite end of the socket head1?) when the same is placed upon the handle 1.

head 13 ride flush with the top face ofthe reduced portion 5, the cover plate is then placed upon the reduced portion 2 in the manner wherein the reduced portion 2 receivesjthe portion l'of the cover plate 15 so that the angular extension 3formed o-n the handle 1 willy engage the` end of the cover plate 15. rlhe circular `recess 19 is then placedover the opposite end of the socket wrench head13 so that the same coi'i'ipletely fits on the topvface of the ratchet teeth 14 andl also the recess 2O will fit over the pin 8 and the finger 18 forme-don the under face ofthe cover plate 15 will fit betweenthe lug `formed on the reduced portion 5 of the handle 1 andthe rearwardly extending foot 9' formed on the pawl 7. To further present displacement or relative movement of the cover plate upon the handle 1 a suitable lbolt 21y is adapted to pass through the cover plate. and handle 1 and has a suitable nut 22 carried at'its opposite end for permanently and securely fastening the two elements together. The. socket head 13 will thus be free to rotate within the cover plate and handle and by having vthe pawl T in engagement with the ratchet teeth 14 formedv on the l Asocket wrench head, the same may be easily rota-ted and also will prevent movement in thereverse direction. The socket head 13 maybe provided with any size nut engaging portion 23 so as to: allow the use of the cover y'plate 15y and the handle 1 with various sizes of socket heads. y

Of course, the bolt 21 and nut 22 can be disposed with, whereby the finger 13 formed onthe under face of the cover plate 15 will prevent the relative movement of the cover plate 15 on the handle 1 in one direction and the angular extension 3 formed on the handle 1 and also on the end of the cover plate 15 willprevent relative movement in theopposite direction.' This is accomplished by the finger 18 abutting thelug 10 when it is attempted to move thecover plate in one direction and also being disposed between the rearwardly extending foot 9 of the pawl 7. and the lug 10, the same kcannot be ac-j `'cidentally displaced. Whenever it is desired his finger so that the same engagesI one ofv the side faces of the pawl 7 and causes the spring 12 to be compressed thereby releasin(r the, aawl 7;- fromv vengagement with the l D l D C ratchet teeth 14 whereby the ratchet head may be freely rotatedin either direction.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description that l have invented a new and useful ratchet` wrench whereby the same may be easily assembled and disassembledy and alsov made to accommodate various sizes ratchet wrench without the necessityof providing an excess number of parts.

t is to be understood that the form vof my` i' inventiony herewith shown and describedis to be taken as a preferred example vofthe same and that various changes in the shape,

size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the" spirit.` of the invention and the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus describedmy invention what 1 claim is v A wrench compris-ing ahandle,l an offse apertured head disposed at the forward end of the handle, the handle being reduced in thickness between the h ead at a point short of the rear end thereof, defining a'transu versely extending shoulder and a diagonally extending shoulder, Aan upstanding lug formed on the inner surface'of the head extending beyond the outer face of the reduced portion, an elongated cover plate arranged to engage the reduc-ed portion and having its rear end provided with a transverse and a diagonally extending` ledge for engaging the shoulders, an offset apertured head formed on the forward end of the vplate arranged to the overlie the first-mentioned head, a socket wrench head rotatably carried by the heads, a pivoted pawl disposed between the heads, a spring engagingthe pawl and lug for normally urgingthe pawlin engagementv with the wrench head, means securing the cover plate on the handle,v and an inwardly extending linger formed on the cover plate for engagement with the lug, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. l

' Y LEWIS L. H1131...

Vilitnesses: f

J. A. Giinuns,

BELLE SHABER. 

